The 77 hectare Oxleas Wood to the north of Eltham, along with neighbouring Jack Wood and Castle Wood, is a surviving fragment of London's old countryside being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) collectively known as Shooters Hill Woodlands.

Located in the woodlands is the Oxleas Wood Honeybee Apiary, totalling about 20 or so active hives depending on the month of the season. The woods and the nearby Woodlands Farm with its 90 acres of farm fields, including wild flower meadows, hedgerows and orchards, together with the general Shooters Hill locality 'green' environment, all make up a rich diversity of nectar and pollen for Oxleas's foraging honeybees.

Oxleas Wood Apiary Honey Filled Frames

At the beginning of the beekeeping season simple timber frames are put in the hive for the bees to draw out the honeycomb and fill each cell with their honey. Finally, the full honeycomb is sealed with a fine wax capping, also naturally produced by the bees. This is the natural way the bees prepare and store their honey, sealing the honey in the cells until they need it.

The Oxleas Wood honeybees produce a surplus of honey, a selective amount of which we harvest as honeycomb frames. Each frame holds, on both sides, a total of 2.5 to 3.5 lbs of delicious honey – it is a perfectly natural product without any artificial processing whatsoever.

You can reserve a single frame for £45.00 which includes for you to visit the Apiary, open up a hive and select your own honey filled and sealed frame. For your visit the Apiary will supervise you and provide the protective clothing.

Apiary Taster Day Hands-On experience in the Apiary under the close supervision of an experienced beekeeper - choose a particular weekend day for beekeeping activities that suit your interests - we provide all the equipment, protective clothing and, of course, the honeybees.